Hardball can lead Ted Cruz to a hard fall

Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press

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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, left, greets Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin after introducing her at the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., Saturday, March 16, 2013. Diehard activists at the three-day conference are already picking favorites in what could be a crowded Republican presidential primary in 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press

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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, left, greets Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin after introducing her at the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., Saturday, March 16, 2013. Diehard activists at the three-day conference are already picking favorites in what could be a crowded Republican presidential primary in 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)